Dr. Anne-Marie Butler:

Per our QQI approval, there are upper limits on many of these courses - in the region of 20 apprentices, for example, on the horticulture programme. There are also minimum numbers required should demand not suffice. One of our challenges has been the staffing of the apprenticeship programmes. Our funding is very kindly coming through the Department of the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Deputy Simon Harris, SOLAS and the National Apprenticeships Office. We are also working with our colleagues in the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine in respect of our available headcount. Fortunately, through the support of our senior management group, we have been able to make the required headcount available to get the apprenticeships off the ground. We are delighted to do this, but there is great potential for us to do a little bit more in terms of looking at the overall staffing required to meet demand in this area. Next year, 20 apprentices are waiting to join the sports turf programme, which shows the demand is there.

We have a great opportunity to promote these programmes better in the next couple of weeks now that we are up and running with face-to-face communication and public relations. Much work has been done in the last 12 months to get us to this point and through the wider support of SOLAS and others. It is certainly a very exciting time. I met the ten apprentices in the Botanic Gardens last week and I came away very enthused.